Dr. Rajendra Prasad Pathak,
Divisional Ayurvedic & Unani Officer (Retired), Shahjahanpur, UP
Indian cultural and religious texts always emphasized on truth and speaking lie as bad. But, greed of minor or major benefits have changed the situations in present scenario and lying has become necessary habit for bigger mass. Tendencies of speaking lie start at childhood and continues to adulthood and later even, if not curbed.
Children starts lying just to ignore mistakes at small age, but parents need to teach lying as bad things1,2. If it continues till adolescent without much attention, a sense of habits develops for easy benefits. Such habits advance to condition when people lie just for persistent admiration and to hide failures or mistakes1,2. Mind of these people is such a way accommodated to conditions that it is unable to differentiate between truth and lie3,4. Number of times, memories of lies appear to be truth and concept of pseudo-perception gets imprinted in mind3,4. Such conditions are associated with fulfillment of desire based on lies. They fizzled away someday before world and persons become helpless. Personality disorders like narcissistic personality disorder, pathological lying, mania and many more may be the result. Chances of blood pressure and other problems related with catecholamine imbalances are also there. These all are related with mind.
Charaka Samhita considers mind along with body as abode of health and diseases3. Performance of duties after thinking over pros and cons utilizing intellect brings mind in normal condition and a normal mind is responsible for proper working of sense faculties4. Duties suggested here includes avoiding the contradiction from constitution of individual’s body with qualities of place, season’s and any act which is undesirable5. Speaking lie is strictly prohibited under the ethics of Ayurveda in Charaka Samhita. Even company of unvirtuous, traitors, lunatics, mean and crooked persons etc. are suggested to avoid5. These are considered unwholesome in Ayurveda and such unwholesome leads to genesis of psychic and psychosomatic disorders6.
Sankhyakarika of Ishwarakrishna discussed four epistemological enquiries. Disinclination of mind from truth (Tushti) is one that leads to false knowledge (Viparyaya)7. Indeed, the contact of mind with sense organs gets disturbed and understanding is affected8. Everything related with mentioned actions of mind viz., thought, rationality (Uha), consideration (vichara), attention, determination etc. get affected8. Speaking or action are influenced and false perception originates6.
So, at least scholars of Ayurveda who believes Charaka Samhita as sacred and basic text of Ayurveda, must start building personality where place of lying, crookedness, jealousy etc. are not there as they are hindrances of practicing perfectly and successfully.
References:
1. Available on: https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/08/20/how-lying-affects-your-health (accessed on 02-02-2019).
2. Available on: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-intelligent-divorce/201401/how-we-learn-lie (accessed on 02-02-2019).
3. Sharma, R.K. and Das Bhagwan (2000). Agnivesa’s Charak Samhita. Chakrapani Datta’s Ayurveda Dipika (Trans.). Second edi. Sutrasthana, 1/55, p. 40. Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, Office, Varanasi.
4. Ibid. Sutrasthana 8/17, p.170.
5. Ibid. Sutrasthana 8/19, p.174.
6. Sharma, P.V. (2014). Charak Samhita. Sutrasthana 11/45, Vol. 1, Ed. and tranl. Revised ed. p.77. Chowkhambha Orientalia, Varanasi.
7. Phukan, R. (1960). The Sankhya Karika of Ishwarakrishna. Sutra: 35-36, pp. 132-133. Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 6/1A, Banchharam Akrur Lane, Calcutta.
8. Sharma, R.K. and Das Bhagwan (2000). Agnivesa’s Charak Samhita. Chakrapani Datta’s Ayurveda Dipika (Trans.). Second edi. Sarirasthana, 1/18-23, pp. 315-17. Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, Office, Varanasi.